Ball Don't Lie

Suddenly, it’s Jeremy Lin Fever

To be sure, the win came against the lowly New Jersey Nets. And, for all we know, the career arc of 23-year-old New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin could come crashing back to the realm of the "pretty good" pretty soon. But until then, it's worth pointing out that Lin gave Knicks fans easily their biggest charge of what has been a pretty frustrating season thus far on Saturday night.

Lin came off the bench to drop 25 points in the New York win, adding all sorts of style points as he managed seven assists and five rebounds in the process. By the end of the game, the Madison Square Garden crowd was chanting his first name (that's enough chills for a lifetime, there), the PA was blasting Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and a starting point guard -- if not star -- was born. By Monday morning he was dominating the team's official website, as seen in the screen shot above. Take a look at the highlight package from Saturday:

If you'd like to watch an extended mix of Lin's time on the court, check out this video from Posting and Toasting:

And, of course, what would be a scintillating news story without the eventual treatment from the Taiwanese media:

Before his potentially season-saving performance on Saturday, Lin was best known for becoming the first Asian-American to play in the NBA in over half a decade when he suited up for the Golden State Warriors last season. The Harvard-educated point man came through with a solid summer league run in 2010, but it failed to gain him any traction as a rookie on a guard-heavy Warriors team. With the Knicks desperate for anyone that can run a screen and roll ably, Lin's ascension is a welcome sight.

Will it last? Again, he's 23, and there will be growing pains along the way even if Lin were some six-time All-Star in his prime that the Knicks just traded for. That's just how the most important position in basketball works. But it's a start. And, as mentioned above, Lin will start on Monday night. And, while coupled with Stanford product Landry Fields in the New York backcourt, the Knicks will lead the NBA in perimeter-based combined SAT scores.